Frequently Asked Questions

Operation Jingle Bells, Crane Manor, and Excalibur can accommodate 2-10 players each. Blitzkrieg can accommodate 2-8 players. We have a listed recommendation for the best experience under the details section of each game. The more experienced your team is the more success you may have with a smaller team. We strongly discourage people from playing Crane Manor with a 2 player team, but the choice is yours!

Absolutely not!

The door you enter your game from will always remain unlocked at all times while you play. In fact, the games are built so that it is impossible to lock someone inside the room. If you ever need to step out for any reason like using the restroom, you are free to do so.

All of our games are mission-based, meaning you will have a goal you are trying to accomplish within the story of the game rather than trying to open a door.

It would also be highly illegal to lock someone in a room and we would strongly caution you not to play at a venue that takes risks with your life.

You can cancel your game for any reason, with 48+ hours notice. We will email you store credit, to the same e-mail used to make the reservation, as a digital voucher for the amount you already paid which will be valid for 6 months. Alternatively, you can reschedule your game to a new date or time, but we still require 48+ hours’ notice to do so. Within 48 hours you may reschedule a booking for a $50 fee.

All sales are final and there are no refunds.

In general, yes, but there will be some parts of games where they may experience limited access.

The owners of Clue IQ, Steven & Lisa, are escape room enthusiasts themselves, having played over 500 games all over the country. Steven is also on the board of directors for ERGO an international organization dedicated to developing and maintaining best practices in the immersive entertainment industry. In summary, we care about escape rooms, a lot. We pride ourselves on having created escape games that are among the most immersive, adrenaline-filled adventure games you will ever play.

Our games are custom-built from the ground up and include a large variety of puzzles featuring a number of mechanical and technological secrets. We offer some of the most technologically advanced games in the region, that are filled with magical moments. We also work very hard to make sure our games are engaging and logical. We make constant updates and improvements to every game to make sure it is always delivering the best experience possible for our guests.

You can even check out our game rooms before you buy tickets. For example, take a look at our Excalibur room. We pride ourselves on the quality of our games and do not hide behind stock images. We show you the real thing.

Finally, all our bookings are private by default, you will never have to share your special day with a stranger, here at Clue IQ!

The short answer is NO! Escape Rooms are designed to be fun above all else. Forget what you saw in the movies, these are fun adventure games in real life.

Our only experience that is even remotely “scary” is Crane Manor. We realize everyone has a different tolerance for being scared but we like to classify this game as “light spooky” not scary. None of our other experiences have any scary parts to them.

NO.

We have proudly always offered private gaming experiences since opening in 2017. You will never have to share your special day at Clue IQ with strangers!

Three of our games have a time limit of 60 minutes. One has a time limit of 75 minutes.

Apart from that, you should expect:

• A brief instructional and onboarding period when you arrive, and
• A brief debriefing period when you’re done (including a free team photo inside the game)

Every team is different and some will finish much faster than others, while some will not finish within the given time limits. We can not guarantee how long you will be in the game.

Yes, absolutely!

Each game will always have a Game Guide assigned who has been expertly trained to be able to help you. Our guides monitor every aspect of your game from a secure mission control center where they are always available to offer hints or a small nudge in the right direction to help with your mission.

Plus, we have built the process for interacting with your game guide into the game environment. You won’t need to carry walkie-talkies or wait for an employee to enter the room. We try to create a hint system that fits within the theme and story of each unique game.

Finally, we do NOT limit the number of hints you can ask for, unlike other escape rooms. We want you to play the way you see fit, and most importantly have FUN along the way.

Absolutely! At no point in the game will you need to use your phone (or anything else you may have with you) and it will not be any help to you. We recommend keeping them in your bag or pocket to avoid distractions but we understand people have jobs, babysitters, and other important things going on that they might need to be reached so feel free to keep them with you while you play or leave them locked in your car. There will not be a secure place to store items in our facility.

The East All Saints St garage is right across the street at 125 East All Saints Street. The garage is regularly $1/hr but is free on Sundays from 8 AM to 2 PM*

We are located at the corner of East All Saints St and S Carroll St, there are lots of meters for street parking along both of these streets. The meters are free after 5 pm Monday–Saturday and all day Sunday.*

There is limited parking available at the lot attached to our building. You are welcome to park in the spaces that have Clue IQ signs., these spaces are double stacked so 2 vehicles can park one behind the other. If your party brings multiple vehicles, please be considerate and park behind each other. If these spaces are full you will need to use the garage or street parking.  If there are already vehicles in these spots that are not part of your group, do not park behind them.

*Details about hours and pricing of garage and metered parking are accurate to the best of our ability but we can not guarantee these details. Please follow all instructions at the garage or meters themselves, as it will supersede this information.

Our games are designed to be challenging with adults in mind. Typically children under 12 may start to struggle with some of the puzzles, but they can absolutely still participate, remember it is a TEAM game.

Further, we do not charge for children under 6 years old but it is important to note these games are not appropriate for them and they are not playgrounds. Young children must be closely supervised at ALL times. If you do not believe you will be able to do this, it is best to play without them. This is for their safety and to ensure nothing is damaged. If they are not being supervised we will ask an adult from your party to remove them from the game. There will be no refunds in these instances.

Any groups with players aged 12 and under must have an adult participating in the game.

Sure!

For snacks and/or dinner, we can suggest Frederick Coffee Co, Wine Kitchen, White Rabbit, Cafe Bueno, JoJo’s, Sumitra, Wags, or Lazy Fish. You really can’t go wrong eating in downtown Frederick.

There are also several breweries nearby such as Attaboy, Smoketown Creekside, and Idiom.

Finally, if you’re here on a date, we suggest a walk along Carroll Creek or drinks on the patio at La Paz.

We are located at the corner of East All Saints Street and South Carroll Street directly across from Sky Stage and the All Saints Parking Garage.

The Marc/Greyhound station on East Street is a 2 minute walk.

We are currently operating all games by appointment only.

There may not be anyone at the facility if there are no reservations. You can get tickets here or call 240-815-6458.

Weather can be very tricky as our guests travel from many different places to visit us. If we are forced to close due to inclement weather all reservations will have the option to reschedule without a fee or get a refund. If you are concerned about the weather in your area we recommend waiting to make a reservation or rescheduling if you already have one. As a reminder our cancellation/rescheduling policy is as follows:

You can cancel your game for any reason, with 48+ hours notice. We will email you store credit, to the same e-mail used to make the reservation, as a digital voucher for the amount you already paid which will be valid for 6 months. Alternatively, you can reschedule your game to a new date or time, but we still require 48+ hours’ notice to do so. Within 48 hours you may reschedule a booking for a $50 fee, with no exceptions.

All sales are final and there are no refunds.